OUCH, nice cable but over 1/3 the units cost. How is the brightness? Powerlet makes great cables so I am sure the brightness is the same as the Cig style Garmin.
Powerlet makes great cables
Don't feel too left out; I have a Zumo and still think they are vastly overpriced. They also have a couple of quirks that are pretty annoying; the cradles tend to fail because (wait for it....) they are NOT WATERPROOF. Amazing but true- if you go to the start of a long distance rally and look in the parking lot the night before, you will see literally dozens of bikes with Zumo 550 mounts (empty mounts) covered with a plastic baggie! They are not waterproof when the unit is in the cradle either and the pins that make contact with the GPS itself eventually corrode away to nothing. Also, the electrical contacts on the bottom of a Zumo 550 are nothing more than an etched PC board- the discs that are the contacts are only about 0.002" thick. Eventually the pins on the cradle (before they rot away) dig holes through the copper discs on the Zumo and will no longer make contact. Garmin did replace a Zumo that did that on me at no charge but it was still inconvenient to have to do the mail exchange.
As far as the map colors, they can be changed on the Nuvis that I have seen. You can choose one of several maps (four I think) although the nighttime colors are really only useful at night in my experience. You may also be able to download other map styles from third party sources.The 500 and 550 nuvis have three (really just two) color modes, day and night and auto. The secondary roads do show up better in nightime mode but as you say that does not work work well in daylight.
Brian
Yep, quality products indeed! A little off topic, but I also have this powerlet cable that can charge my Scala G4 in use on my helmet while riding if need be...
http://www.powerlet.com/product/micro-usb-standard-powerlet-charging-cable/484
I use this to plug my 765T into my powerlet plug on my Heli risers.
http://www.powerlet.com/product/mini-usb-short-powerlet-cable/259
I am probably adding a Powerlet socket on the left side to match the factory socket so these two cables may be future products on my list. I can use the same cable to charge my Sena SMH-10.
Less expensive = http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/mfx-10747-03.htm
With the cost of the new Garmin Nuvi 40's at only $75 last week at Meijers ... i could not see have a M/C unit.
sucks that i cant upload routes ... but i mostly just aimlessly wander around till i am at half tank ... then turn the GPS on to find my way back home.
With the cost of the new Garmin Nuvi 40's at only $75 last week at Meijers ... i could not see have a M/C unit.The 765T does routes and is not much more expensive..
sucks that i cant upload routes ... but i mostly just aimlessly wander around till i am at half tank ... then turn the GPS on to find my way back home.
Yea, I used the USB with a USB to Cigarette adapter for the accessory plug on the C14 and my brightness was horrible. I used the plug supplied by Garmin with the Cig style end and the screen was MUCH brighter. I almost gave in and bought a Zumo but glad I figured it out.
Alpha, I currently have my 765T hard wired using an almost identical cable to the one linked below, except this one has a USB style plug for the Garmin. This cord however http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/ghs-b.htm uses the proprietary plug the connects to the 765T cradle which then attaches to the GPS unit itself. Is this the cable you are using, except with a cig lighter plug? I dont mind hard wiring a new cable if it will brighten my screen.... just trying to get a little reassurance before I drop the cash for it. The factory Garmin cig lighter plug would work, but I just dont like wrapping up a 3' cord for something that is about 8 inches away. The hard wired cord is just a cleaner install IMHO.
The Garmin Nuvi 500 and 550 are both waterproof. less than 300.
holy resurrected threads, Batman!